Our Farm’s Experience is about ALL Farms in New Hampshire
SUPPORT VERNON FAMILY FARM ON OCTOBER 20, 2025
7pm at the Newfields Conservation Commission Meeting
at Newfields Town Hall, 65 Main St, Newfields, NH 03856
WHAT’S GOING ON NOW?
The Newfields Conservation Commission will hold a public meeting on October 20th at 7pm to hear public comment and to formally determine whether parking is permitted under the terms of the Conservation Easement in connection with agritourism uses. Most of our land—30 out of 33 acres—has been protected by a Town-managed Conservation Easement since 2004. Conservation easements are complicated, and each one is unique. But, generally for our land, the Conservation Easement means the land is forever protected for farming, forestry, and conservation, which we support wholeheartedly.
Vernon Family Farm has submitted a formal letter to the Newfields Conservation Commission and is making it available for public review.
The Farm invites, welcomes, and humbly requests community support because continued use of parking is vital to us!
If you shop the farm store and/or attend of have attended our agritourism events, school field trips, etc. in the past, please:
WRITE A NOTE/EMAIL OF VFF SUPPORT (see template example below): Specify your support for parking in the Conservation Easement area.
Feel free to use this template, carefully delete everything in [brackets] and replace with your own words as per instructions in the brackets.
Dear Members of the Newfields Conservation Commission,
[Say who you are, what town you live in, for example, My name is Amy Manzelli and my family and I live in Newfields, NH.]
[Say what your position is on the matter, for example, I support parking in the Conservation Easement area of Vernon Family Farm.]
[Say something of gratitude, for example, Thank you for your time and attention to my input.]
[sign the letter]
SEND THE EMAIL TO:
conservationcomm@newfieldsnh.gov
or drop at Town Hall before the meeting on 10/20/25 (Monday)
Please cc: manzelli@nhlandlaw.com, info@vernonfamilyfarm.com, suemckinnon@newfieldsnh.gov
Emails should not be sent to individual Board members.
ATTEND AND/OR SPEAK at the Oct. 20th MEETING: All members of the public are welcome to share their opinion through testimony with the Newfields Conservation Commission during their meeting. All members of the public are also welcome to attend and observe.
At Vernon Family Farm, we believe deeply in the power of collaboration. From our beginning in 2014, our family has worked hand-in-hand with the Newfields Conservation Commission (NCC), whose mission—to steward and protect conserved land for future generations—is the same as ours. We share the same responsibility to honor the 2004 Conservation Easement so the property remains a thriving resource for farming, forestry, and conservation. Every year, we work with the NCC’s monitors, attend public meetings, and engage in open dialogue. Our work is stronger for this cooperation, and together we are proving that conservation and farming are better together.
Parking cars for our agritourism events is not new, has been ongoing for many years, and has been part of approved applications after comprehensive public input since at least 2022. So, we remain hopeful that after receiving public input, the NCC will formally put into place approval of the parking.
WHAT IS THE NEW HAMPSHIRE CHARITABLE TRUSTS UNIT?
Many people don’t realize the ultimate authority over Conservation Easements in New Hampshire falls under the New Hampshire Charitable Trusts Unit (CTU), a division of the NH Department of Justice overseen by the Attorney General. The CTU protects the public’s interest in charitable organizations and “charitable assets” (like a conservation easement) through effective registration, education, and enforcement.
In short: the CTU steps in if there are concerns about whether charitable resources are being used properly. Because the CTU received two complaints, the CTU has a legal duty to investigate to make sure decisions about the 2004 Conservation Easement align with the law overall and with the terms and provisions in the Conservation Easement itself. The only issue remaining to be resolved as part of the CTU investigation is this issue of parking on the conservation easement area.
HOW VERNON FAMILY FARM GOT HERE?
In 2022, the Newfields Planning Board unanimously approved our overall agritourism site plan with conditions, which no one appealed. Since then, we have been working with the Town to satisfy the conditions, and are nearly complete. Every step of the way, every single body voted in favor of our farming, in public meetings. This process is the very definition of teamwork: our farm, the Planning Board, the Select Board, the ZBA, and the Conservation Commission all work together to make conservation goals and farming goals aligned.
AGRITOURISM EVENTS
KEEP FARMS ALIVE ACROSS NH
Agritourism is written into New Hampshire law as part of the definition of agriculture and farming, specifically as part of marketing. It’s an essential way of marketing for many farms to survive. Growing food alone often isn’t enough.
And most agritourism involves needing to park cars somewhere on the farm, meaning parking cars on conservation land is common. Farms across New Hampshire rely on Pick-Your-Own and “harvestfests” for their apples and other orchard crops; farms known for their special once-a-year themed events celebrating special crops like tomatoes or sunflowers or barbeques, and boosting the experience with corn mazes; farms that extend the season with their Halloween-themed agritourism events; and so many more. These farms are examples of how agritourism strengthens communities and keeps farms alive.
Our Farm’s Experience is about all Farms in New Hampshire
It’s about whether we, as a family, can continue to pour our hearts into this farm we’ve built from the ground up. It’s about whether our kids will grow up seeing that hard work, community, and perseverance—working with the Conservation Commission and with our Town—are enough to sustain a farm in New Hampshire. And it’s about whether families across the state will still have local farms to gather at, to buy and eat nourishing food, and to feel connection with each other and with the land.
We’re asking for your support—not just for Vernon Family Farm—but for the future of farming in New Hampshire. Together—with you, with the NCC, with Town boards, with state leaders—we can make sure farms like ours continue New Hampshire’s long and rich agricultural heritage.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP VFF!
1) Write an email to the Town of Newfields Conservation Commission. (See details above)
2) Attend and Speak at the October 20th meeting at 7pm!
3) Shop the farm store to help keep Vernon Family Farm thriving and fueled for the future.
Want more info?
We also encourage folks following this farming journey to speak to us in person. If you have questions, we are happy to answer them. Additionally, we urge you to read through our previous blogs so that you have a comprehensive understanding of how long we have been fighting for our right to farm in Newfields, NH. We are so grateful for your continued support.
